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Columbo: Forgotten Lady (1975)
I have a big problem with this episode
And it drags a lot of it down for me. It's the explaining away of Grace's cold blooded, vicious, well planned murder as being the product of a degenerative brain illness. Such illnesses do NOT turn people into sociopaths. They actually do the exact opposite. They may make a person paranoid to the point of violently lashing out in a moment of pique, perhaps for a delusional motive, but Grace's murder does not fit that pattern at all. Her murder is the product of a fully sane, sadistic mind for a practical motive. My conclusion would be that Grace was a hidden sociopath all along whose brain degeneration wouldn't allow her to suppress it anymore. That makes her true self very unsympathetic and undeserving of a compassionate fate. It also makes letting her off under the condition that she'll die in a few months one of Columbo's worst decisions. If the illness turned her into a sociopath capable of sadistically killing like she did, there's no reason to suspect she couldn't do it again. That means Columbo's decision puts the public at risk, something very out of character for him.
It's easy to see why the writers made the ending like they did. Janet Leigh's Grace is perfectly charming and well intentioned when she's not murdering people for their money and we definitely want to see John Payne's Ned Diamond, who is absolutely the best thing about the episode, get the happiest kind of ending possible though it really can't be happy in any way. I just see Grace as being a character who could easily plan and execute another murder in the time she has left, and forgetting it again afterwards, and that would make it Columbo's greatest error, even with Ned looking over her shoulder as often as he can until her death.
The acting is not the problem at all as Janet Leigh and John Payne are tremendous. She gives the role energy and emotion (and looks amazing in a skin tight black suit at her age) and he's the kind of chivalric gentleman in the best tradition of the Knights of the Round Table you just can't help but like and respect. I just think that plot point really hurts the episode in the end and I can't go higher than a 7 because of it.
Columbo: Dagger of the Mind (1972)
Richard Basehart makes the episode for me; he may break it for you
Dagger of the Mind is a lot of fun, if you're into a strong British feel and lots of Shakespearean atmosphere as I am. However, it can't be one of the great episodes because it's essentially a Season 6 or even a TV movie Columbo case stuck in Season 2. Later Columbo had a much stronger whimsical side and the ability to find the lighter side of things, especially as he aged. Our villains are both way too pompous and over the top to be taken seriously and don't fit with the more serious Season 2 Columbo. Villain and policeman are just too much oil and water. Other problems are the first killing is an accident and not murder yet the killers don't think it will be believed, which always undermines the quality of villain because we always want them to be vicious throughout and fully deserving of being busted in the end (I'm looking at you, Dale Kingston.) The final problem is that Columbo has to rig evidence to catch them, which is seldom satisfying, both for screenwriting and the onscreen action as it shows the detective has to stoop to falsifying evidence to win. It's a little like a Deus ex Machina not grounded in actual policework and even feels like a dirty trick.
That said, the two killers are the highlight for me. I love everything to do with Honor Blackman onscreen in whatever she's in but the performance that makes the episode for me is Richard Basehart's. It's actually a tough, complex role to pull off tonally for the American actor because he's clearly being asked to be as aggressively British and hammy as he can without making the performance a complete English caricature. He goes aggressively forward yet also knows when to pull back and just how much. His onstage MacBeth is a perfect example. He needs to be more English than English, which he is, and he needs to overact, which he does, yet he also is not only entertaining in his episode character but as MacBeth onstage, too! For some, this may be too annoying to be pleasurable but it's perfectly in step with the episode's intended tone. In that way, for me, the whole thing is a win in the entertainment category, if not in the Great Episode category. Recommended but don't expect an Emmy award.
Hollywood Steps Out (1941)
How flippin' talented was Kent Rogers?!
My God, the young man was 17 when this came out and he voiced FOURTEEN of these characters! He died in a WWII training flight in 1944 at the age of 20. What a tragedy. You'd have to think he would have gone down as one of the greatest voice artists of all-time, maybe right up there with Mel Blanc, if he'd lived longer. The cartoon itself has no plot other following around the cartoon versions of several of our favorite golden age celebrities at a night club. I particularly like ladies man Clark Gable strutting around after a woman as the cartoon's running theme. That's so perfect for Gable's reputation as the womanizing King of Hollywood. It's a fun cartoon, not one of the greats, but truly great voice work from the amazingly talented Kent Rogers.
Twins of Evil (1971)
Shockingly good
This one had throwaway schlock written all over to me but damned if it's not a really fun, entertaining, well made film. The most interesting part is the complex plot direction of the "witch hunters," led by Peter Cushing. In 99% of such films, the witch hunters are crazed religious fanatics who think they're doing God's will but in fact are doing the exact opposite. In this film, they are fanatics but there also IS evil running amok. It makes them, and Peter Cushing especially, much more interesting and understandable. Yes, they go too far at times but wouldn't you run that risk if there are legit vampires running around! Damien Lewis steals the show as the head vampire, Count Karnstein. He both hams it up deliciously yet also seems to keep the character grounded just enough that you don't laugh at him. David Warbeck makes a likeable hero as the reasonable man of education who eventually has to admit there is true evil in the village. The least interesting characters are the twins but they do have the dynamic of one being evil and the other being good so there's some interest there, most notably in the evil one. The soundtrack is excellent, as is much of the filming and the imagery. You can't help but appreciate it and think, "Man, they REALLY tried hard making this film" and they pull it off much more often than not. A very pleasant surprise.
Columbo: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)
What in the HELL happened?
We all love the show and 9 out of 10 episodes are wonderfully fun at the very least but THIS episode? What the heck was going on?! After a brief bit in the beginning setting up the Commodore, his drunk daughter and son-in-law who annoys him, we go to Robert Vaughn having supposedly killed him. From there, Columbo shows up. At this point, 99.9% of the time, the fun starts but THIS time? It's as if the screenwriter either completely doesn't understand or hates the character. He acts completely out of character for the next half hour. I have no clue how Peter Falk signed off on it. The Commodore is missing so he's there. No, "I'm sorry, sir, but we have a report the Commodore is missing. I'm from homicide but don't let that bother you." Instead, Falk just kinds of grunts one liners which explain nothing. Then there's boat porn, where Columbo learns about what a boat does for no reason. How is that important to the missing Commodore? Then probably the worst bit where Columbo wastes several minutes of air time sitting with a woman doing transcendental meditation. No, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm kind of embarrassed to say so but do you need any help?" Instead, he sits down next to her and grunts more one liners. Just SO out of character. The part that convinced me the whole cast was drunk was after that when Columbo and Robert Vaughn's character are sitting on the boat. Columbo knowingly drapes his arm over Robert Vaughn's shoulder!! That NEVER happens in any other episode. He'd say, "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I didn't see you there." Here he just drapes his arm over Robert Vaughn's shoulder like he's a drunken frat brother. SO STRANGE. The ending is the first in the series to break the pattern and it's bad. And the very great Patrick McGoohan directed!!! What in the hell??!!
Columbo: Candidate for Crime (1973)
One of the great Columbo masterpieces
Candidate for Crime is one of the Top 5 greatest Columbo episodes and may be my choice for No. 1. The driving dynamic is the incredible interactions between Peter Falk and Jackie Cooper, perhaps the best interplay in the entire series. Nelson Hayward isn't that bad a guy. He just has to kill his campaign manager or give up the woman he loves (something Edward VIII in that.) Columbo gets on his trail and the ensuing cat and mouse game leads to an increasingly frustrated and furious Hayward continuously coming up with false explanations for his murder while Columbo repeatedly shoots them down as calmly and casually as can be. After each emotional exchange, Hayward bows his head, walks away and mumbles something like, "Yeah, I never thought of that." Then he explodes with more fake explanations and Columbo goes back to easily swatting them down. The energy and chemistry between the two is mesmerizing. Peter Falk is great as always and Jackie Cooper does incredible work as he eventually becomes so frazzled he traps himself in one of the series' best endings. He could have been nominated for a Prime Time Emmy for his performance. Rock solid script that's also expertly performed. Never gets dull and never gets silly. Even the bit with Vito Scotti is fine. Truly one of the great episodes in the series.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945)
I LOVE this movie
Maybe Bud and Lou's most underrated film. It's not a ten level film but it is to me. The comedy is crisp with plenty of snappy, ridiculous comebacks (Bud: "Call me a cab." Lou: "You're a cab." SLAP!) The Klondike Pete sequence is one of the funniest bits Lou ever did. The idea, by itself, is wonderful and the execution is perfect. The regular MGM musical numbers are grand and inspired, especially the end number, which is amazing in its complexity. The mood and the pace are that highly enjoyable slowness like a pinata slowly releasing candy, when you're in a zone of contentment without harsh noises or rough edges.
Even more than the comedy, though, this movie is special for me because it represents my archetypal, utopian idea of Golden Age Hollywood, that romantic, fantasy view of Hollywood as the beautiful, dreamlike fairly land so many of us grew up hoping it was. A perfect sand castle in the sky, a place as close to heaven on Earth as could be, with slow, melodic music and well dressed people smiling and happy, ready for the next fun adventure in a lifetime of adventures. The epitome of the green grass on the other side, the place we yearn to reach to escape our own life's hardships. For that reason, it's one of my favorite and most important movies, where I at least try to convince myself life can be a beautiful dream, the kind of idea I smile to in my happiest times as I drift off to sleep.
Ten Little Indians (1989)
If you can tolerate the overacting, it definitely has its charms
I love Agatha and this story and this version can't be properly reviewed without comparing it to the others. The 1945 version is a classic and I LOVE the 1965 version so you'll hear no blasphemy on that from me. I'd place the 1989 version third, ahead of the 1974 one, which is generally poor. The 1989 version is tough to review because it's so uneven. It suffers from some very severe, laughable bouts of overacting, mostly by Paul L Smith, who I've never been a fan of because he, well, overacts. The caricature doctor and Herbert Lom also ham it up, possibly without knowing they are. The performances are borderline campy but the movie also takes itself very seriously. Donald Pleasance steals the show in a villain role he seemed destined to play. His Wargrave at the end is actually pretty chilling. He also DEFINITELY knows he's in a campier version because it's obvious along the way. I also enjoyed Sarah Thorp's Vera. I think her performance deserved a better film. The acting weak link is poor, wooden, generally talentless Frank Stallone who, thankfully, has very little screen time. Did they cast him as a favor to Sly? I liked Warren Berlinger's Blore. He has a really nice acting moment when he's confessing his crime against Landor. The major positive for the film is it's the best horror film version. 1965 has some great chills but 1989 amps up the creepy music, mood and, especially, the violence. There's more blood spilled in this one than the others combined. The film's weakness is its tone. It's so campy in so many places but it's taken so seriously! You get the feeling they thought they were making a dramatic masterpiece, which is a shame because there are several comedic moments which could have fit in nicely with the drama if they were acknowledged as such! Still, I think it's a fun watch if you love Agatha and the story and look for the positives.